essays expository writing

A 4th grade lesson on how to plan and write an expository essay to a.
The purpose of the expository essay is to explain a topic in a logical and straightforward manner. Without bells and whistles, expository essays present a fair and balanced analysis of a subject based on facts—with no references to the writer’s opinions or emotions. A typical expository writing prompt will use the words “explain” or “define,” such as in, “Write an essay explaining how the computer has changed the lives of students.” Notice there is no instruction to form an opinion or argument on whether or not computers have changed students’ lives. The prompt asks the writer to “explain,” plain and simple. However, that doesn’t mean expository essay writing is easy. The Five-Step Writing Process for Expository Essays Expository writing is a life skill. More than any other type of writing, expository writing is a daily requirement of most careers. Understanding and following the proven steps of the writing process helps all writers, including students, master the expository essay. Expository Essay Structure Usually, the expository essay is composed of five paragraphs. The introductory paragraph contains the thesis or main idea. The next three paragraphs, or body of the essay, provide details in support of the thesis. The concluding paragraph restates the main idea and ties together the major points of essay. Here are expository essay tips for each part of the essay structure and writing process: 1. Prewriting for the Expository Essay In the prewriting phase of writing an expository essay, students should take time to brainstorm about the topic and main idea. Next, do research and take notes. Create an outline showing the information to be presented in each paragraph, organized in a logical sequence. 2. Drafting the Expository Essay When creating the initial draft of an expository essay, consider the following suggestions: The most important sentence in the.
Summary: The Modes of Discourse—Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation (EDNA)—are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these approaches and students’ need to understand and produce them. Contributors:Jack Baker, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth AngeliLast Edited: 2013-03-11 10:04:15 What is an expository essay? The expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect, etc. Please note: This genre is commonly assigned as a tool for classroom evaluation and is often found in various exam formats. The structure of the expository essay is held together by the following. A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay. Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion. Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. Body paragraphs that include evidential support. Each paragraph should be limited to the exposition of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. What is more, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is.
Sample Essay Conclusion Part 1 of 4: Pre-Writing Understand the purpose of an expository essay. Expository essays are meant to explain a topic to a reader. You will need to introduce a specific fact about a topic and elaborate on this fact using evidence. This is one of the simplest essay forms you will ever write. You do not need to argue a point, as you would with a persuasive essay. Instead, you only need to describe something. For example, one expository essay topic might be the writing career of Jane Austen. With this topic, you would write about the stages of Austen's career, but you would not need to form any conclusions about her career or argue about any literary themes she may or may not have included in her writing. Choose a good topic.[1] A good topic should be specific enough to cover within a few pages but not so specific that you cannot find enough information about it. Take into consideration any writing prompts your instructor may have assigned. Usually, when an instructor sets writing prompts, he or she will provide a general subject from which you need to choose a more specific topic. For example, if an instructor issues an expository essay assignment for World War II, you would not write about the entire war. Instead, you would focus on one element of it. You could choose something a specific moment of the war, like D-Day or Pearl Harbor, or some aspect of the war that continued through the entire thing, like the use of dogs or other animals to aid soldiers. Find appropriate sources. Your sources need to cover the topic well and must also be reliable. Traditionally published books and academic journals are the best sources, followed by academic and government websites. Other reliable websites, newspaper articles, and magazine articles are your next best bet. Some teachers will allow you to use encyclopedias, but as you get into higher levels of.
Writing assignment series When writing your expository essay, follow these eight basic steps: Select a topic:Be sure the topic is narrow enough to make it manageable within the space of an essay Write a thesis sentence:Be sure the thesis statement(or sentence) expresses a controlling idea that is neither too broad nor too specific to be developed effectively Select a method of development:Check through all the methods before you finally settle on the one which will best serve your thesis: definition | example | compare and contrast | cause and effect | classification | process analysis Organize the essay:Begin by listing the major divisions which the body paragraphs in your essay will discuss; then fill in the primary supports that each body paragraph of the essay will contain Write topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the essay:For each body paragraph, furnish a topic sentence that directly relates to the thesis sentence Write the body paragraphs of the essay: Each body paragraph should develop the primary support covered in that paragraph's topic sentence Furnish a paragraph of introduction:An introductory paragraph should state the thesis of the essay, introduce the divisions in the body paragraphs of the essay, and gain the interest of the reader Write a paragraph of conclusion: Restate the thesis and divisions of the essay Bring the essay to an appropriate and effective close Avoid digressing into new issues Writing assignments Writing for the Web | The five-paragraph essay | Essays for a literature class | Expository essays | Persuasive essays | Position papers | Open book exams | Essay Exams | White papers | Lab reports/scientific papers |Research proposals | Elements of a Research Paper Seven stages of writing assignments | Lessons learned Source: Ida Masters Hollowell, James A. Levernier, A. Franklin Parks, Structuring Paragraphs: A Guide to Effective.
Sequence or ProcessThe author lists items or events in numerical or chronological order. Cue Wordsfirst, second, third; next; then; finally Example of Sequential Writing Expository writing is intended to convey the writer's knowledge about a topic.  While different patterns may be employed to create the essay, every essay contains the same features:  the introduction, the thesis, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion.  The introduction is the first paragraph in the essay.  The introduction contains the thesis statement, one sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay.  The body paragraphs follow the introduction and explain the main topics.  Lastly, the conclusion is the final paragraph that restates the main topics and and the thesis.  Every expository essay contains these features, in this order.